|
"Strike Three"
Rating: PG Tempting Fate (4) Archer, Trip and Doctor Phlox followed Chancellor Ekaj at a run up the canyon slope, joining the group of Etaf that had surrounded a tree. Archer pushed through the people, watching the four Etaf high above them carefully lowering T’Pol and Hoshi down through the massive branches of the tree. T’Pol was conscious and helping some, but her fatigue was making her rely on the helping hands around her. Hoshi was unconscious and the Etaf were moving her much slower. “I thought they were dead,” Archer said when he saw Doctor Phlox and Trip come up beside him. “Makes two of us. The last I saw was the two of them swept away,” Trip said. “In light of recent events, we demand a final and standing amendment that the Vulcans must accept if they want us to sign their trade agreement,” Chancellor Ekaj said. Archer closed his eyes. Another amendment. Four days before the flood hit, which would now be eight days ago, he had tried to negotiate a trade agreement that Starfleet ordered him to handle for the Vulcan council. Archer had been unsuccessful at making any headway with the Etaf council who kept making amendment after amendment, which T’Pol kept rejecting on behalf of the Vulcan council. “And that would be?” Archer asked, opening his eyes. The Etaf nearly had the two women out of the tree. Doctor Phlox and Trip walked around to help lower them to the ground. “Earth must be included in the trade agreement, otherwise we will reject the entire agreement and refuse to accept the terms as is in the agreement.” Archer looked down at her. “Why do you want Earth included?” “We are willing to do trade with the Vulcans on their terms now that we’ve seen they are willing to help, but had it not been for this human,” she motioned to Hoshi, “Your Vulcan science officer would have continued up the canyon. But this human was insistent on assisting me in repairing the warning beacon,” Chancellor Ekaj looked up at Archer, “And saved thousands of Etaf from being killed. We will only feel comfortable with terms if the Vulcans agree to enter it with the humans, or there will be no agreement.” Archer looked up. “I will offer the amendment to the Vulcan council when I return to my ship.” “And if the Vulcans refuse the agreement, we are willing to sign the same agreement with Earth.” Archer looked down at her. “I will make sure to offer it to Starfleet command if it comes to that, Chancellor Ekaj.” Doctor Phlox and an Etaf took Hoshi from the Etaf handing her down and carried her to a stretcher. Hoshi opened her eyes, looking up at Doctor Phlox. “Am I dead?” Hoshi whispered to him. “Hardly,” Doctor Phlox said, “But getting you warm and dry could certainly keep that answer from becoming false, Ensign.” Hoshi closed her eyes, her mind slowly recalling what had happened to her before she drifted back into unconsciousness. # “Miss Hoshi.” Hoshi stirred, slowly waking up. “Miss Hoshi!” Hoshi woke up, looking up into the face of Chancellor Ekaj. The humanoid alien woman was drenched and water dripped off her hair. “What?” Hoshi asked. “We must go to high ground. Hurry. Get your cloths and shoes on. We’ve not much time. You have to hurry.” Hoshi watched her leave the room. Hoshi got up and dressed. She looked up when the door open and T’Pol came in. “Are you prepared to leave? We must hurry.” “What’s going on?” “Forty-one centimeters have fallen in the last five hours. The warning beacons from the damn of the lake above us have gone off, indicating the pressure on the damn is reaching critical.” “I always have tried to figure out why anyone builds a town in front of a few million liters of water! That has never made sense to me. It’s like building your house on sand!” Hoshi zipped up her boot and stood, grabbing her coat and pulling it on. “Let’s go.” T’Pol turned and they ran through the house, meeting Chancellor Ekaj outside in the rain. “Where is the rest of the crew and my captain?” T’Pol asked her. “Up.” The woman pointed toward the top of the valley. “They have already gone up. Hurry. We must hurry.” The three ran toward the valley edge. They were at the edge of town when a man ran up to them. “The warning beacon is down, Chancellor Ekaj,” he said. “No. Oh no. Take these women up to safety. I’ll see what I can do,” the Chancellor told him. “We are already aware of the impending danger. Why must the warning beacon be working?” T’Pol asked. “It sends the signal on down the valley to the other towns and the city to alert them to danger of the damn breaking. It’s a simple alert system, basically,” Hoshi explained. “Chancellor Ekaj, can you fix the warning beacon?” “I don’t know.” “I’ll go with you,” Hoshi said. “No,” T’Pol said, grabbing Hoshi’s arm, “We have to go to high ground with the others.” “I might be able to help, T’Pol. There are thousands of lives depending on that box working!” “Very well. I’ll assist.” The four ran toward the tower that the warning box was in and climbed up to the top. Between Hoshi, T’Pol and the Chancellor Ekaj they were able to repair it quickly. Hoshi flipped the switch and the five colored LEDs on it cycled and then stopped at the top red LED. “The damn will break at any minute,” Chancellor Ekaj said, “We must hurry.” She led them back down the tower and they started up the steep incline. Lighting ripped across the sky and Hoshi could make out people above her. Hoshi smiled a little when she was close enough to see Archer and Trip kneeling on a ledge at the top of the canyon. They helped Chancellor Ekaj and the Etaf man up when they reached them. Hoshi held up her hand out to Archer, feeling his hands tighten around her wrist. Hoshi heard a loud pop to her left and looked toward it. Lightening lit up the sky and she saw a wall of water rushing toward her. “THE FLOODS COMING!” Hoshi screamed and scrambled to get footing to push herself over the ledge. Hoshi looked to her right, seeing T’Pol was just reaching the ledge and reaching for Trip’s hand. Hoshi looked left and the next flash of lighting revealed the wall of water only a few meters from her. Hoshi yanked her hand free from Archer’s grip and jumped toward T’Pol, knocking her down before she and Trip’s hands closed around each other. “HOSHI!” Archer yelled. T’Pol’s fingers grazed Trip’s hand as the water washed her and Hoshi away. “T’POL!” Trip screamed. Hoshi tightened her hold on T’Pol’s waist, fighting against the water to get to the crest. She broke to the top and gasped for air. Lighting lit the sky and Hoshi spotted a tree hanging down in their path. “T’Pol,” Hoshi said. T’Pol didn’t respond. Hoshi kept her attention focused on the tree limb she saw rushing toward her. She reached out and flung her arm around the branch. The rough bark cut through her uniform into her arm and the branch creaked and groaned with their weight. Water rushing past them increased their weight and she felt the branch give way a little more. “Hold on. Please hold on,” Hoshi willed the branch. For now it held. Hoshi pulled T’Pol around so her face was out of the water and wrestled against the water to get T’Pol’s body draped over a branch slightly higher than the one she was holding. Hoshi pulled herself onto the same branch. Grabbing T’Pol under the arms, she managed to pull T’Pol up four more branches and well above the rushing water. Hoshi stopped and rested T’Pol against the trunk. She moved around to another branch and straddled it, leaning back against the trunk. Hoshi closed her eyes, turning her hot face toward the falling rain. She could only pray that the tree was rooted deep enough to keep it from being washed away. “Ensign Sato,” Hoshi heard T’Pol say over the roar of the water. “Yeah?” “How did I get in a tree?” “It was that or drowning, T’Pol. I just assumed that even a Vulcan might prefer a tree over that.” “That is a correct assumption,” T’Pol laid her head back against the tree. “I was unconscious when you pulled me up here?” “Yeah. I think you drowned, but somewhere on the way up I must have tipped you enough to get the water out of your lungs.” “We are several meters above the water. I never realized you had such strength, Ensign Sato.” “Makes two of us, but let’s not go testing it again. If I weren’t sitting in a tree, I’d fall asleep right now.” “Why did you keep me from grabbing Commander Tucker’s hand and why did you release Captain Archer’s? I saw he had a firm grip on your arm.” “I saw the flood waters coming at us and knew it was going to be strong and would most likely pull Trip and Captain Archer in when it swept us up. I didn’t want them to drown. I guess…I guess I chose which of the crew would be sacrificed tonight. I felt that the captain and chief engineer were more important for the ship to have. The communications officer and chief science officer are expendable. And I latched onto you like I did because I’m unusually buoyant and was counting on it to get us to the crest of the flood. Sorry if you don’t approve.” T’Pol didn’t reply. Hoshi let out a sigh. “T’Pol?” “Yes.” “Thanks.” “For what?” “Helping me with that warning beacon. Hopefully the other towns were able to save some Etaf.” There were several minutes of silence filled only by the roar of the flood below and the rain falling from above. “Ensign Sato,” T’Pol said, but her voice was quiet. “Yeah?” “Thank you. I am in your debt.” “For?” “For saving both me and Commander Tucker’s lives. I do not disapprove of your decision. Had I been able to make the observations you had at the speed you did, I would have made the same choices. Enterprise must have a captain and chief engineer. You and I can be replaced with little disruption to work or Enterprise having to return to Earth.” Hoshi smiled, but said nothing. She closed her eyes, dozing while she waited. # “Hoshi.” Hoshi turned her head when she felt a hand give her upper arm a gentle squeeze. “Hoshi.” “Give her time, Captain,” she heard Doctor Phlox say. “She’s heavily medicated right now.” Hoshi looked up at Archer. Archer smiled at her and she returned it. “When you let go of my hand and knocked T’Pol away from Trip’s, I thought for sure you two would drowned, know that?” “I never could dive for the penny at the bottom of the pool. I was too buoyant,” Hoshi joked. Her eyes drooped shut. “What’s a little flood to a buoy body like me?” Archer smiled. “Good thing for that.” “I’m feeling lousy, Captain.” “You have pneumonia, but that’s easy to fix. You sure know how to work it so you get days off before anyone else, don’t you?” “I try to be creative, sir.” “Keep it up and I’ll have to reassign you to somewhere more creative to keep you from getting bored.” “Threat or promise, sir?” “Promise. Hoshi, I wanted to tell you something good, but you have to wake up enough to hear it. Can you do that for me?” Hoshi swallowed, looking up at Archer’s face. “Good news?” “Yeah. The Vulcans and Etaf signed the trade agreement with only one amendment.” “Really?” Hoshi asked. “After all those requests for amendments they made they only settled on one?” “Yep.” “Which one?” “A new one. Earth had to be included in the trade agreement.” “Really? That’s awesome.” “All because an extraordinary Ensign risked her life to save nearly a million Etaf from drowning in a flood.” Hoshi’s eyes closed but she smiled. “I can take the month off now, right?” Archer chuckled. “Not that extraordinary.” Hoshi’s smile waned as she fell asleep again. Archer sat down on the edge of the bed, holding her hand in his. He looked up when T’Pol walked up. “You have told her?” T’Pol queried. “Yes.” “She was pleased?” T’Pol asked. “I think she’ll be pleased to hear it when she’s conscious. Perhaps you should decide how you’d like to tell her then.” “Me?” “After all, if it wasn’t for you speaking on her behalf for the Etaf, the Vulcan council never would have changed their minds to accept the amendment. She’ll be pleased to hear you aided the Etaf you two saved that night.” “She was very convincing at the time she suggested we help fix the beacon. There was sound logic in what she said.” Archer smiled at T’Pol. “All the more reason to tell her yourself when she’s awake, T’Pol.” T’Pol nodded a little. “I must return to the bridge.” Archer nodded. “Will you be up shortly?” “In a while. I’m staying with Hoshi for a little bit.” T’Pol turned and left the Sickbay. Archer looked down at Hoshi. He had never been so proud of Hoshi or T’Pol as he was today. |
Like it? Hate it? Just want to point out a typo? Join the discussion now.
Disclaimer: Star Trek in all its various forms and its characters are the property of CBS/Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended by the authors of this site, which is solely for the purpose of entertainment and is not for profit. This site is owned by CX and was opened to the public in February 2008.